The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has agreed to release ₹1.5 crore more under the Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of ONGC-MRPL to the new block of Government Lady Goschen Hospital, Mangaluru.
H. Kumar, Managing Director, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL), announced this during a media interaction at the new building along with Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel here on Monday.
MRPL has already sanctioned ₹21.7 crore for the project out of which about ₹16 crore has been released.
The additional funding is meant for procurement of equipment, including cots and beds for the new block.
Mr. Kateel said the then Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas M. Veerappa Moily agreed to fund the new block construction through CSR initiative of ONGC-MRPL upon requests by him and the then Mangaluru MLA Yogish Bhat. After initial delays, the project has gained momentum and is likely to be completed in a month, he said.
He said the Minister (Dharmendra Pradhan) is eager to inaugurate the new building once it gets completed. About 90% of the work is over, he said.
As the hospital authorities were planning to shift existing equipment, cots and beds to the new block, he persuaded the Minister to sanction additional funds and the same has been done, Mr. Kateel said.
Stating that Lady Goschen is a common man’s hospital, the MP noted that its services are being utilised not only by residents of Dakshina Kannada, but also from neighbouring districts.
Hosptial Medical Superintendent M.M. Shakuntala said with the opening of the new block, over 500 beds would be available for patients. About 300 new admissions are made every day as inpatients.
Dr. Shakuntala said work on another new block, Maternity and Child Health wing, has already started at an estimated cost of ₹10 crore.
Dr. Shakuntala said the new block would have 60 neonatal ICUs and 10 general ICUs, meant only for Lady Goschen patients.
Process is on to get the required number of support staff, including housekeeping, lift operators etc., through outsourcing, she added.
MRPL Group General Manager (Human Resources) B.H.V. Prasad and others were present.
Rural infrastructure
Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel on Monday said he has sought funds from MRPL under CSR to strengthen infrastructure in rural areas, particularly, school and toilet buildings.
Funds for toilets at a school in Kateel; support for Sanjeevini Hospital in Kateel, which offers free treatment to residents from 15 villages; funds for a toilet block at Polali; and funds for a science laboratory at Government College, Venur, are some of the initiatives, he said.
He also sought ₹2 crore support to upgrade the Rotary Blood Bank at Puttur, the MP added.
